Fox News quoted Mr. Aaron Cohen, a veteran of the Israeli special forces, as saying that a split-second decision may have saved the life of former President Donald Trump in the failed assassination attempt at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on the afternoon of July 13 local time.
Hours after the incident, Cohen told Fox News that if the former president had not turned around when the gun went off, he would not have survived.
"Snipers are often trained to shoot at the cerebral cortex of the cerebellum above the brain stem. It will leave the victim helpless, their arms unable to move. The distance of the shot, only about 120m, is not difficult to hit the target" - Cohen said.
"I see, if the former president's head was straight, and if that bullet went into his ear, he would be done. But he turned his head when the bullet came, and that split-second decision saved the former president's life." " - Cohen commented.
Some people estimate that the shot that grazed the former president's ear was likely fatal within just a few centimeters.
Cohen went on to mention the security "failures" surrounding the incident, but he did not want to go further into criticizing the US Secret Service for somehow allowing the assassin with an AR-style rifle to get enough. close to injuring Mr. Trump .
However, some former FBI and Secret Service agents were dumbfounded by the security incident. Some allege that the poor effort to get Mr. Trump out of danger could have led to a much more disastrous outcome if more threats emerged.
"Having worked with the Secret Service before, when watching the incident unfold, I couldn't believe it took them so long to get Mr. Trump off the stage and into the car. Then, the car had to stop. It will take a while to leave the area," former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam said in a special broadcast of the program "Fox & Friends First" on July 14.
“A lot of people who watch the news don't want to criticize the Secret Service, but when I watch this again, I'm amazed at how things played out. That is not how elite forces operate with these tactics and these types of situations,” Mr. Gilliam added.
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker, who also appeared on Fox News, spoke out about the Secret Service's response to the assassination .
“It was almost a murder shot. If there is a second shooter, Mr. Trump will have little chance of survival. The Secret Service's primary mission is to prevent this type of action and then respond as quickly as possible to get Mr. Trump out of danger. But that doesn't happen here" - Mr. Swecker said.
Retired Secret Service agent Jeff James was also stunned by how things unfolded. Outdoor rallies complicate security, he noted, but some things could have been done differently.
"They should have taken Trump off the stage right away. He wanted the shoes - which was great - but no, had to leave. If I had one criticism it would be that. I I want to get him off the stage and into the armored car faster. Once in the armored car, it will be quite safe and can move at high speed," Mr. James said.
According to Reuters, authorities identified the shooting suspect as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Pennsylvania, who lives about an hour's drive from the campaign site in Bethel Park.
